


i wanna know what love is (i know you can show me)

by ashleygail



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Softness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 16:32:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14548821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashleygail/pseuds/ashleygail
Summary: you fall in love in stages, these little moments: the moment you think you might love them, the moment you think you know you love them, the moment you know you love them but you’re not ready to say it yet and the moment you know you love them and you can’t keep it to yourself anymore.





	i wanna know what love is (i know you can show me)

When Eddie Kaspbrak was five years old, his mother gave him the one and only life lesson that he supposed might actually have been true and helpful.  His father’s sickness had gotten worse and even as kid, he’d been able to see the changes in his mommy as much as in his daddy. This had been a good day for Eddie’s mommy, and she had told Eddie the story of how she and his father had fallen in love.

“You fall in love in stages, these little moments,” she told him tearfully into her cup of tea. “Those little moments; the moment you think you might love them, the moment you think you know you do, the moment you know you love them but you’re not ready to say it yet, and the moment you know you love them and you can’t keep it to yourself anymore.”

And Sonia had launched into her moments of thinking and knowing but all Eddie could think about was when he’d get to experience his own.

**The Moment You Think You Might Love Them**

Eddie had never really considered Richie Tozier as somebody the incited jealousy, though he supposed he probably should be. If anybody had a good life going for them, it was Richie. Eddie was never exactly jealous of Richie, but he certainly never felt bad for him either. Kid had the best parents Eddie Kaspbrak had ever met and was got flawless marks without trying. Aside from Henry Bowers and his gang of dirt bags, even the people who didn’t really Richie still found themselves drawn to him.

When they turned fourteen, though, Eddie started to feel bad for Richie for the first time. The boy had finally gotten his braces, on top of his coke bottle glasses and out of control black curls. It wasn’t because of the braces themselves that Eddie felt bad for Richie (if Eddie told himself the truth, which he never did, he found the braces kind of adorable.) but because of the growth of bullying he had to endure.

Richie took it in stride for the most part, always one to joke and deflect anything emotional at every turn. One day, though, Eddie’s compassion for Riche hit him hard in the chest and made him feel like he needed the inhaler he hadn’t used in almost a year.

It wasn’t even a moment that Eddie would have expected to feel for Richie, either. Not a time where Richie was being verbally harassed by classmates or slammed into lockers, no, it was much simpler than that.

Richie laughed at a joke Bill made and his hand came up automatically to hide to his open mouth. Eddie’s heart launched into his throat and before Eddie could give a single thought to his actions, his arm flew out and wrapped around Richie’s wrist. He tugged Richie’s hand away from mouth and frowned at him.

“Don’t,” Eddie said, probably a little too harshly. Richie’s eyes widened and the table fell quiet. Richie blinked at Eddie and he cleared his throat. “I just mean… you don’t have to cover up your braces, Richie. They’re- they’re cute, okay?”

There was the distinct sound of Ben choking on his drink, but Richie’s cheeks just heated up. He glanced down at Eddie still holding onto his wrist and he smiled with tight lips. Eddie tightened his grip on Richie’s wrist until the smile cracked open to reveal his braces.

“I-“ Richie cleared his throat. “Thanks, Eddie.”

And as Eddie watched Richie turn back to his food, cheeks still pink, Eddie wondered at the bubbling feeling in his stomach. Richie’s hand slid backwards until it tangled with Eddie’s own. Eddie though his throat might close up as Richie smirked at him from the side gaze.

“If you’re going to grab my hand,” Richie said in low voice so only Eddie could hear him. “You better commit to it, Kaspbrak.”

Then Eddie wondered if the tingle in his chest and clench in his throat could be what being in love felt like.

**The Moment You Think You Know You Love Them**

Richie shook his head like a dog and splattered water all over Eddie’s face and bare shoulders. “Oh, you bastard!” Eddie squawked, “why are you like this? Why can’t you just be  _normal?”_

“You don’t want me to be normal, Eds,” Richie cooed, dropping down on his knees and pressed his face close to Eddie’s. “I think you love me just the way I am.”

Eddie scowled and whacked at Richie’s bare chest. “Keep fucking dreaming, Tozier. We both know nobody loves you.”

Richie made wide eyes at Eddie and mockingly wiggled his head in Eddie’s face. “ _Yoooooou_ do.  _You_ love me.” He draped an arm around Eddie and pulled him in to rest his head on Richie’s shoulder. “Eddie Kaspbrak loves me!! Stan! Stan the Man!  _Stanley!”_

Stan looked up where he was reading a book on birds and gave Richie a withering look. “What.”

“Eddie loves me.”

Stan glanced at where Eddie was struggling against Richie’s death hold and stuttering out protests, and rolled his eyes to cover up a fond smile. “Nobody loves you, Richard.” Stan said lovingly.

“Eddie does,” Richie said, flopping his legs over Eddie so he prompted into his lap and buried his head into Eddie’s neck. When Eddie’s body burned hot and he didn’t mind the touch of Richie’s wet hair to his skin, Eddie realized that maybe Richie was right.

Maybe Eddie did love him. The giant, puppy-like idiot.

**The Moment You Know You Love Them but You’re Not Ready to Say it Yet**

“Don’t!” Eddie sheriked as Richie snapped an elastic band around his fingers. “Tozier!! Don’t!”

“I’m not going to,” Richie said calmly as he flicked the band again. “I just want to put the fear in you.” Richie mimicked snapping the elastic towards Eddie again, causing Eddie to squawk and flinch.

“Tozier! I will beat your ass!” Eddie threatened, clenched his hands at his sides. Richie grinned as his mimicked snapping the band again. Eddie flinched. “Fucker! Stop it!”

“But you’re so cute when you’re angry, Eds baby,” Richie cooed. Eddie felt his cheeks burn bright red and had to question his own sanity. 

“Why don’t you just sit somewhere else?” Stan asked without looking up from the textbook from where he sat on the other side of Richie. Eddie glared at him, and noticed Stan’s smirk despite the lack of eye contact. 

“Because I’m his best friend.” Richie sang, snapped the band once more to hear Eddie squawk angrily at him. “He would never leave me.”

Eddie grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms around his chest. “Why are you like this?” 

Richie lowered the rubber band and stuck out his bottom lip. “Come on, Eds, don’t be mad for keeps now.”

“Don’t fucking call me that,” Eddie snapped while his heart lept. He glanced at Richie from the corner of his eyes and Richie was just… staring at him. “What?”

Then Richie blushed and quickly looked away. “Nothing, my love, my darling, the life of my-” 

“Beep beep,” Eddie reached out and punched Richie in the shoulder. Richie made a loud whining noise before turning to cling to highly annoyed Stan, and now Eddie knew he was the one staring. 

It was the stupidest moment, Eddie knew it, but it hit him like a truck watching Richie act like an utter idiot annoying Stanley Uris. He was in love with this stupid fucking asshole. 

**The Moment You Know You Love Them and You Just Can’t Hold It In Anymore**

Richie had taken off his glasses before getting up to turn off the light while Eddie curled up in the bed. Richie half took off his jeans as he bounced towards the switch. As Richie turns once the light was off, Richie turned and promptly tripped over the skinny jeans around his thighs.

Richie hit the ground pretty hard, groaning. Eddie burst into laughter, quickly buiring his face in the pillows to avoid being heard. His chest filled with a tight burning, threatening to crush him completely.

“I can’t believe you’re laughing at my misfortunate, Spaghetti.” Richie groaned from the floor, rolling onto his back. “I could have been seriously injured. What would you have done then? You would have had to find a new best friend, and I mean, sure Billy is great but he’s  _me,_ you know? The best friend of all best friends and-“

“Tozier, shut up, please,” Eddie said frantically, his heart beating a thousand miles a minute in his chest. “Richie…”

Richie looked up from the ground, squinting to see Eddie in the darkness that was matched up with his lack of glasses. Eddie actually wheezed as he realized he wouldn’t be able to hold this in anymore.

“I love you.”

Richie blinked then his eyes widened, scrambling to stand up, merely to trip over his jeans once more and fall flat onto his side. Scowling, Richie rubbed at his elbow and looked up at Eddie. “For real? Like, really “I wanna spend my whole life with you’re the love of my life, i love you” or “you’re a fucking idiot but you’re my best friend i love you dumbass’?”

Eddie smiled. “Can’t it be both?”

Richie broke into a huge grin and managed to fling himself into the bed. He pulled Eddie close to himself and buried his face into Eddie’s hair.


End file.
